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We are about 95% wrapped up with nonconference play. There are a handful of games in the next week, then the SEC/Big 12 Challenge in late January, plus a few other stragglers out there. With that in mind, here are five quick thoughts on the season so far as we head into conference play nationwide. 

1. Favorite story

Zach Edey becoming the comfortable national player of the year frontrunner. The last time someone was this far out in front at this point in the season, his name was Zion. Edey is averaging 22.6 points, 13.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. He's been the statistical MVP of every Purdue game, per KenPom.com.

2. Disappointments I didn't see coming

Creighton (6-6), Dayton (8-5), Florida (7-5), Villanova (7-5), Michigan (7-4), Notre Dame (7-5) and Oregon (7-6). Those are seven teams I expected to make the NCAA Tournament and with single-digit seeding. I'd now set the over/under on the number of those teams getting in at 2.5.

3. 'Great teams' talk

I've heard some talk about how there are "no great teams" this season. Sorry, I'm not buying it, and there's still plenty of time for that plot to develop. I'd say UConn, Purdue, Kansas, Arizona and Houston are all capable of achieving the "greatness" tag. Might be one or two more that elevate to that status by March, too. 

4. Freshmen aren't dictating much 

The best freshman in the country is Alabama's Brandon Miller, who averages 19.2 points; he's the only diaper dandy in the top 100 nationally in points per game. Take a look at the 247Sports rankings for the best players in the Class of 2022. There are some good starters in that group, but few former five-stars have proven to be college stars through the first seven weeks of the season.

5. Three best games thus far

Nov. 27: Alabama 103, UNC 101 in 4OTs (PK85): I was there in Portland. The stands were maybe 20% full in the secondary arena. It was riveting, however, and will probably be the only four-overtime game we'll get this season between two high-major teams, let alone two teams with the talent to make the Final Four.

Nov. 23: Arizona 81, Creighton 79 (Maui championship): Two teams making big plays, sinking crowd-shaking shots and getting Maui back to regular form after three years away. This wound up being the game that pivoted Creighton's season for the worse. As of this story's publishing, the 6-6 Jays haven't won since.  

Dec. 17: UNC 89, Ohio State 84 in OT (CBS Sports Classic): The game that could turn UNC's season for the better was a come-from-behind thriller at Madison Square Garden punctuated by a Pete Nance buzzer-beater to end regulation on a play that the Tar Heels had never practiced before.  

Hey Nineteen Power Rankings

Reminder: My rankings are not solely about whom I think is "best." This is a weekly encapsulation of the 19 hottest, most successful and/or most *interesting* teams, combining team quality with win quality but also having no shame for recency bias and rewarding significant winning streaks. Courteous feedback is encouraged: @MattNorlander.

1
UConn
Record: 13-0 | Last week: 1. The Huskies are off to their best start since 1998-99, when they started 19-0 on their way to winning the national title. Dan Hurley's team got an unexpected quick fright Tuesday at home against Georgetown before flipping the switch, going on a 20-3 second-half run and finishing with an 84-73 win. UConn is beating teams by an average of 25.0 points.
2
Purdue
Record: 12-0 | Last week: 2. According to EvanMiya.com (another terrific college hoops stats resource; the sport is fortunate to have so many good websites dedicated to good data), the second-most improved player in college hoops relative to preseason top-300 projections is Purdue's Braden Smith. He's averaging 9.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 3.6 apg. Smith is making nearly 90% of his foul shots and connecting on 40.6% of his treys.
3
Kansas
Record: 10-1 | Last week: 6. Though KU did receive top-10 recognition in the preseason AP Top 25, the Jayhawks weren't considered top-shelf national title contenders in October. That was fair, given how many key pieces from the 2022 title team were gone heading into the season. But after winning by 28 at Missouri and then thumping Indiana by 22 this past weekend, KU is now in the thick of the top-shelf conversation once again. It's Bill Self; we shouldn't have been too skeptical anyway.
4
Arizona
Record: 11-1 | Last week: 7. The only team with four wins over ranked opponents is Arizona. In fact, no Pac-12 team has won four games over ranked nonconference foes since the Pac-12 was called the Pac-10. The year: 2001-02. The team? Yep. Arizona. The Wildcats wrap up non-league play Thursday night at home against Morgan State. The line is Zona -29.
5
UCLA
Record: 11-2 | Last week: 11. I had some one-on-one time with Mick Cronin on Saturday at the CBS Sports Classic after UCLA won 63-53 over Kentucky. Cronin said one of the biggest keys to this team's success is how easily the group gets along. Nothing forced, everyone is jelling as a band of buddies. With the nucleus of Tyger Campbell, Jaylen Clark and Jaime Jaquez being genuine off-the-court friends, it's got Cronin believing this team will soar deep into 2023.
6
Houston
Record: 12-1 | Last week: 9. I had the Coogs ninth last week, and I'll be honest, I don't think there's a chance UH flirts with ever dropping that low again in this space the remainder of the season. Kelvin Sampson's guys went into Virginia and authoritatively demonstrated that they were the better team. Big Quad 1 win, and because Houston is head-and-shoulders better than all others in the American, I'd be surprised if this one-loss team gets to the NCAA Tournament with more than three.
7
Arkansas
Record: 11-1 | Last week: 10. The Hogs beat UNC Asheville 85-51 Wednesday night, but the big news is that freshman guard Nick Smith Jr. is out again. In what's a first to me, the team is describing this absence as time off for "right knee management." I can't remember hearing that phrasing before, but have to figure they're being as cautious as possible. His time off is being described as indefinite. Arkansas' next game is Dec. 28 at LSU.
8
Texas
Record: 10-1 | Last week: 8. The Longhorns blew past Louisiana with ease on Wednesday night (100-72). It's been radio silence out of Austin since Dec. 12, the day Chris Beard was arrested on an assault charge and subsequently suspended. Texas plays again in five days, on Dec. 27, in its nonconference closer at home against Texas A&M Commerce.
9
Tennessee
Record: 10-2 | Last week 5. No significant punishment for UT after it played Arizona to within five points at Arizona's joint on Saturday. Expect the Vols to be a steady presence near or at the top of the SEC standings over the next 2.5 months. They'll take a few losses, but I doubt this team ever drops out of the AP Top 25 this season. The defense will be there every night.
10
Miami
Record: 12-1 | Last week: 13. On Wednesday's episode of Eye on College Basketball (listen below), I posited whether Miami should be considered the ACC favorite after getting off to a 3-0 start in league play. Gary Parrish rightfully pushed back and said it should still be Virginia. I think that's fair, but I also think Miami's got a wonderful shot at finishing first, second or third in this conference. Congrats, by the way, to coach Jim Larrañaga for his honor this week of being a nominee under consideration for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
11
Alabama
Record: 10-2 | Last week: 4. The Crimson Tide must slide (slightly) after the 100-90 loss in Birmingham to Gonzaga, a game in which Nate Oats' team gave up more than 1.3 points per possession in the second half. One of the best and more intriguing games the week between Christmas and New Year's Day will be next Wednesday. Alabama will open SEC play on the road against one-loss Mississippi State.
12
New Mexico
Record: 11-0 | Last week: 18. Three unbeaten teams left: UConn, Purdue and these Lobos. Reminder, if you see that 11-0 mark and think it's a typo, the power rankings do not count games vs. non-Division I competition, just like the selection committee. Richard Pitino is doing wonders in Year 2, and I think even he's a bit surprised by this. How could he not be? UNM is averaging 84.5 points, up from 74.3 a season ago. Three of its next five games are on the road.
13
Virginia
Record: 8-2 | Last week: 3. The Cavaliers lost two straight games since we last met in this space, but that's not enough to warrant booting UVA from the proceedings altogether. A home loss to a potential future No. 1 seed (Houston) followed up by a two-point road defeat against a borderline top-10 team (Miami) is reasonable. And if you asked Virginia fans in the preseason if they would've taken two nonconference losses total this year, they'd have said yes. I don't think Virginia loses two straight again for the rest of the season
14
TCU
Record: 10-1 | Last week: NR. Emanuel Miller and Mike Miles combined for 39 points in the Horned Frogs' super-quiet 75-71 win Wednesday night over Utah in Salt Lake City. That gets this team to 10-1, and if we're being fair, it means TCU has played its way back from where it was in the preseason: top-15 status. Its only loss is by one at home to Northwestern State (a weird one).
15
Miss. St.
Record: 11-1 | Last week: 12. The SEC had a tough Tuesday, highlighted (or lowlighted) by the likes of Mississippi losing at home to North Alabama, Texas A&M dropping a home one to Wofford and Florida (more respectably, but still) getting outdone by Oklahoma. Mississippi State also lost, falling to Drake on a neutral floor. In October, Drake might've been favored. The next two are at home vs. Bama and at Tennessee. We're about to learn about this team.
16
Baylor
Record: 9-2 | Last week: NR. The Bears have won seven of eight, the lone loss in that stretch being the mesmerizing 26-point throttling at Marquette. In light of a lot of other one- and two-loss teams taking defeats in recent days, it opened a window for Baylor to come back. The Bears are more 3-point happy than any prior Scott Drew team; 46.7% of Baylor's shots are from beyond the arc. 
17
Gonzaga
Record: 10-3 | Last week: NR. The Bulldogs' steam engine-like win against Alabama was so good, it got 'em back at this party. Mark Few never scheduled a nonconference tougher than this one, he told me in November. It ranks No. 8 at KenPom and in the NET. All things considered, a 10-3 mark is a good showing. GU's offense ranks No. 2 in points per possession nationally.
18
Wisconsin
Record: 9-2 | Last week: NR. The Badgers have won five of six, the loss in that span coming by three points at home to Wake Forest squad that just beat Duke at home and knocked the Blue Devils out of this week's Hey Nineteen. Wisconsin has five wins away from the Kohl Center and will likely get to 10-2 by the end of the year; the Grambling State game was canceled Thursday, so Western Michigan is the final one before Big Ten play.
19
Charleston
Record: 11-1 | Last week: NR. Welcome the Cougars to the proceedings! Pat Kelsey's team has one loss, to North Carolina, and has defeated the likes of Virginia Tech, Colorado State, Richmond, Davidson and Kent State. It will have a superior nonconference résumé than many future at-large schools. Have grown into the favorites heading into CAA play.